The first flight from Al Maktoum airport will have left the runway by the end of this year, project bosses have pledged.

Speaking to Arabian Business, Abdulla al-Falasi, Dubai World Central's director of marketing and corporate communications, said that the project is developing on schedule, with work now completed on the fencing and security gates surrounding the site.

"The entire fencing is equivalent to that of securing an area nearly twice the size of Hong Kong Island - a feat quite remarkable in itself," he said.

He added that now that this work is complete, further development can progress with the necessary security precautions in place.

Other infrastructural works due to be completed by the end of the year, when the first flights in and out of the international airport are expected, includes a cargo terminal, taxiways, a control tower, electrical substations and emergency service facilities.